


Social Distancing

by PandorasDaydream



Category: Schitt's Creek (TV) RPF
Genre: Facetime chat, Friendship, Insecurities, M/M, Pining, Serenade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandorasDaydream/pseuds/PandorasDaydream
Summary: During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Daniel and Noah practice social distancing. They share a conversation over Facetime. Noah tries to help Daniel feel better.
Relationships: Dan Levy/Noah Reid
Comments: 28
Kudos: 93





	Social Distancing

**Author's Note:**

> So, I did a thing... 
> 
> If RPF is not your thing, I understand that. Look away now. 
> 
> ++

++++++

He was alone. Well, he wasn’t _alone_ alone. He was home with Redmond. He lay curled on the couch snuggled under a blanket with the book he’d been trying to read for days. He read the paragraph for the third time. It was just not sinking in. He tossed the book onto the coffee table. He lay staring at the ceiling. His fingers playing with Red’s ear.

His phone rang and he lept for it.

Noah. Calling on Facetime.

“Hi.” He said with a smile for his friend.

“How you holdin’ up?” Noah asked.

“I think I’m getting lonely.” He said.

“How many times in the last year have you said that all you wanted was to go home and be alone with Red for a few weeks?” Noah teased him.

“Don’t throw my words back at me.” His eyes crinkled a bit at the corner as he smiled at the sight of his friend. “You look good.”

“Thanks. I didn’t realize how exhausting the tour would be. The rest feels good to me.” Noah ran his hand down his face.

“Don’t touch your face.” He scolded.

Noah chuckled. “I know.”

“How are you passing the time?” He asked.

“At first, I slept. _My god_ I slept. But now I’m trying to keep to a schedule. Writing music. Reading. Had a script sent to me.” Noah said.

“Oh?” He felt a knot in his stomach form. He knew rationally that Noah would find work. Receive offers. He’s a great actor and with the popularity of the show, more people would want him. But, damnit, he didn’t like the idea of someone else snatching him up.

“Yeah… it’s just not… I’m not interested.” Noah shrugged and then changed the subject. “I’ve seen that you’ve been cooking.”

Dan smiled. He smiled that smile that is generally reserved for the chosen few. All teeth. The light in his dark eyes danced. “Are you telling me Noah Reid has been on social media?”

“What can I say?” He winked.

“I feel like I need to prove that I’m social distancing. Feel like I need to be an example.” He said. The weight of the world always on his shoulders.

“You know that’s not your responsibility, right?” Noah worried about his friend. A lot. Dan always felt pressure to say the right thing. Do the right thing. For his community. For his country. For his castmates. For… everyone.

“It bites me in the ass sometimes.” He confided.

“What happened? Are you talking about the cheese?” Noah asked. He’d seen it. Saw the added video on his most recent Instagram Story.

“I know it means they loved it… but.” He shook his head.

Noah saw it. He saw what Dan only ever let a handful of people see. Disappointment. Self-doubt. “Were there a lot of them?” He asked Dan. Knowing that there were people who scolded Dan in his DMs about not saying “Fold in the cheese.”

“Enough for it to be annoying. I was just trying to…”

“Daniel.” Noah cut him off.

“Hmm?” He stopped.

“You gotta let that go. Some of them don’t separate you from him. Or, maybe it was just their favorite scene and they thought that’s where you were going with it.” Noah tried to comfort him.

“I know.” He nodded.

“For every one person who said something negative, there were hundreds who loved it but just didn’t say anything. They just enjoyed it for the gift that it was.” Noah tried to speak to his logical side knowing that was often how he could cut through Dan’s emotional self-talk and get through to him.

“I know.” He smiled at his friend. Thankful for him.

“You know there are a lot of sane, loving, rational people out there who don’t talk to us in our DMs. Who don’t post at us. They don’t want to bug us. But they’re watching you and love everything you post.” He encouraged his friend to continue with his social media contributions in this time of crisis.

“Speaking of… Mister. When _you_ talk into the camera the whole fandom falls to pieces.” He teased Noah.

“What can I say. They love me.” Noah laughed.

“I think Patrick may have been the best thing I ever created.” He said.

“Eh.” Noah shrugged. “Maybe he was a good part of the best thing you ever created.”

“How do I ever…” He started.

“You’ll do it again.” Noah cut him off. Knowing where his mind was about to go.

“Will I, though?” And alas, he came to the crux of the matter.

The reason he was restless. It wasn’t the pandemic. It wasn’t the social distancing. It wasn’t the demanding comments in the DMs. It was the nagging voice in his head that told him he’d never create anything as magical and wonderful as what he’d worked on over the last 7 years.

“Daniel Levy. You are a creative genius and your best is in front of you.” Noah told him honestly.

“Will you keep telling me that until I believe it.” He asked Noah.

“Always.” Noah nodded.

“You have a lot of plants.” He said, changing the subject.

Noah looked behind himself as though he didn’t know that he was sitting in his living room with all of his plants behind him. As though he had no clue they were there.

“Why do you take them with you on the road?” He asked Noah.

“Ambiance.” Noah shrugged. A shit-eating grin on his face.

For the first time in days, Dan laughed. “Oh my god. You know you can rent them in each town where you perform. Right? Everywhere you go there are greenhouses. Nurseries. You could rent something.”

“Why would I do that when I can haul these guys around with me?” Noah asked. Laughter in his voice.

He shook his head. Still chuckling at his friend. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Dan.”

“Will you do something for me?” He asked.

“Name it.” Noah said without hesitation.

“Sing for me?”

“What. Here?” Noah asked. Feigning shock.

“Yup.” He nodded.

“You can just look me up on YouTube. Half my concert has been uploaded by now.” Noah joked.

“Does that upset you?” He asked. Always aware of what is happening on social media about his cast. His friends.

“Should it?” Noah asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” He squinted one eye and cocked his head to the side.

Noah shook his head. “Nah. This isn’t going to last forever. They love Patrick. Want to hear him sing, I think. When their interest moves to another show…”

He cut Noah off. “They’re not there for Patrick, Noah. They’re there for you.”

“OK.” He said.

“You’re remarkably talented.” He said.

“Mmmm.” Noah made a noise.

“And very handsome.” One side of his mouth pulled back in a grin as he looked at Noah’s face filling the screen on his phone. White t-shirt. Grey beanie on his head.

“Oh?” Noah asked.

“And rumor has it, they love how you look in your jeans.” He teased, knowing that Noah was uncomfortable with the idea of people thinking of him as sexy.

“Oh god.” Noah leaned back in his chair. Looked up at the ceiling.

“And those workout videos?” He continued to tease Noah.

“OK. It helps the gym. They’d been struggling, I just thought I’d help them out.”

“Are you still going? To the gym?” He asked. Ready to scold him if he was.

“Nope. Social distancing. I’m going to get fat.” Noah said.

“Oh, I think you’ll be all right.” He encouraged him.

Noah propped up his phone and picked up his guitar, always within reach. “What do you want to hear?”

“I think you know the answer to that question.” He pulled his mouth into that smile. Off to the side.

“Something from the new album, then?” Noah teased.

“Noah Reid.” He scolded in a soft voice. “Sing me _our_ song.”

“You got it, Boss.”

His fingers began playing the familiar notes. Plucking the heartbeat out on the strings. He leaned over his guitar. Felt every note. [Felt every word he sang](https://youtu.be/MsRUnInJ4CQ).

_I call you when I need you, and my heart's on fire_   
_You come to me, wild and wired_   
_You come to me, give me everything I need_

_Give me a life time of promises and a world of dreams_   
_Speak the language of love like you know what it means_   
_And it can't be wrong, take my heart and make it strong, babe_

_You're simply the best, better than all the rest_   
_Better than anyone, anyone I ever met_   
_And I'm stuck on your heart, I hang on every word you say_   
_Tear us apart, baby, I would rather be dead_

_In your heart I see the start of every night and every day_   
_In your eyes I get lost, I get washed away_   
_Just as long as I’m here in your arms I could be in no better place_

_You're simply the best, better than all the rest_   
_Better than anyone, anyone I ever met_   
_And I'm stuck on your heart, I hang on every word you say_   
_Tear us apart, baby, I would rather be dead_

_Oh, each time you leave me I start losing control_

_Like you’re walking away with my heart and my soul_   
_I can feel you even when I'm alone_   
_Baby, don't let go_

_Cause you're the best, better than all the rest_   
_Better than anyone, anyone I ever met_   
_And I'm stuck on your heart_   
_I hang on every word you say_   
_Tear us apart_   
_Oh, I would rather be dead_

_Oh, you're the best_

His head still down he looked up into the camera of his phone. The way Patrick looks at David. Dan’s heart skipped a beat.

He watched Noah. He pushed down, as he always did, every emotion he ever had about Noah. This wild, funny man who walked into his life only a few years prior. This talented, gregarious soul who always urged Dan to lighten up. This generous, patient man. One of the handful of people in Dan’s world whom he trusted completely. _Completely._

 _He’s my friend._ He reminded himself for the millionth time. _He’s my friend._

“Thank you, Noah.” He said quietly into his phone.

“It’s going to be OK.” Noah assured him.

“I know.” Dan nodded.

“Go create something. Even if it’s just one of your lists in that journal of yours. Go create.” Noah encouraged him.

“I will. I promise.”

“And keep posting the videos. People love them… I love them." Noah said.

“I will.” He smiled at his friend.

Noah wrapped up the conversation the same way they’d wrapped up every Facetime conversation since they both committed to social distancing by asking, “Can we talk tomorrow?”

“We can talk whenever you’d like. Just preferably… not before…”

“Ten am.” Noah finished for him. “I know.”

++


End file.
